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Day 10 – Liechtenstein, Austria, Appenzellerland, Deutschland

Isaac Church — Tue, 21 May 2019 03:59:25 +0000

To start our final full day of the trip, we ate the breakfast items we purchased at Coop in downtown Zürich: some yogurt and an AOP-certified sampler pack of cheese from the four main cheese-producing regions of Switzerland.

Breakfast - AOP cheese and jogurt

Liechtenstein

After finishing our breakfast, we began our quest to visit two more countries. First up: Liechtenstein, which is about a 1hr 20min drive ESE of Zürich.

Liechtenstein (abbreviated “FL” for Fürstentum Liechtenstein) is a micro-country, and it certainly reflected that. It was small and somewhat charming, but after we’d walked around the downtown [downcountry?] we felt like we’d seen the whole country. We basically had.

Liechtenstein

The Principality of Liechtenstein is a constitutional monarchy ruled by the Prince of Liechtenstein. This micro-state has an area of just over 62mi², and has a population of just under 40,000. The country became a principality in 1719, though the ruling princes rarely visited. Franz Joseph II became Prince in 1938, and was the first ‘prince-in-residence’.

Like Switzerland, Liechtenstein remained neutral during World War II, though it provided safekeeping for the national treasures of Eastern European Allies during the war.

Vaduz

Coat of Arms

Vaduz is the capital city of Liechtenstein. The city has a population of only ~5,500.

Flag

Schaan

Coat of Arms

Schaan is the largest municipality in Liechtenstein, with a population of just over 6,000.

Flag

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

Red House // Schloss VAduz

There’s always something to do in the Alps, though. We drove up the mountain to the Prince’s residence, the Schloss Vaduz. Along the way, we stopped to take a picture of Liechtenstein’s famous Red House.

Red House

Finally, we reached the castle.

After hiking around a bit, we concluded our tour of this tiny country, and proceeded to a much larger realm: Austria.

Österreich

Driving north through the city of Schaan, we turned on Feldkircher Strasse to head to our second country, this time only a short ~15 minute drive away: Austria (Österreich).

We drove to the medieval town of Feldkirch, which is in the Austria’s westernmost state, Vorarlberg.

Feldkirch

Coat of Arms

Feldkirch is a historically Roman Catholic city, with origins dating back to as early as 1218 AD.

State of Vorarlberg

Flag

The Austrian state of Vorarlberg is the westernmost region of the country. The state is completely mountainous and is knicknamed “Ländle“, or “small land”. The region, along with Liechtenstein, speaks a very distinct dialect of German. Locals dress is called tracht, which consists of a traditional white alpine robe called a Juppe, a cap, jacket, and stockings.

Coat of Arms

Schloss Schattenburg

Up on the hill above the city, we toured Schloss Schattenburg, a medieval castle dating back to the 13^th century.

Having completed our tour of the castle, we walked down a rather slippery stone path to the city center of Feldkirch. We walked around a while and went in a few stores, but it was fairly quiet, since it was a Monday.

Feldkirch

Cafe-Konditorei Feuerstein // Josef Schertler Bäckerei Konditiorei

Josef Schertler Bäckerei Konditiorei

By now, it was time to find some lunch. Wanting some Austrian food, rather than choosing to eat at one of the city’s many international restaurants, we walked around trying to find a local place. All we found, unfortunately, was a street vendor selling very delicious-smelling baked goods, which I made a mental note of for later in case we wanted a snack or some dessert.

Finally, we came across a small chalkboard sign outside of a cafe that advertised a lunch special with schnitzel [the favorite treat for little girls and boys to eat], so we bravely headed inside Cafe-Konditorei Feuerstein. The waiter spoke some English, but the restaurant had no menu, and all the clientele seemed to be locals: a good sign, but a little unnerving.

When asked what we wanted, we ordered two schnitzel specials (after all, it was the only thing we knew was on the menu). The server seemed to accept that as an acceptable answer, and brought us a delicious lentil (and definitely some ginger) soup to start, and then brought the main course of schnitzel with potato salad/lettuce covered in a slightly tangy vinegarette. The meal was delicious, and very inexpensive as well. I can see why it’s a local staple.

Cafe-Konditorei Feuerstein

Feldkirch, Austria

Traditional, no-fuss food. A local favorite, and for good reason.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

After lunch we stopped back by the bakery, of course. I got an apfeltosche, and Faith got a cheese pastry.

Bäckerei Konditiorei

Appenzellerland

After lunch, we hiked back to the car, and drove back into Switzerland to the Appenzell region (Appenzellerland) – about a 40 minute drive on narrow roads that wound through forests and pasture.

Cantons of Appenzell

Coat of Arms – Appenzell Innerrhoden

The Appenzell region of Switzerland is split into two half-cantons: Catholic Appenzell Innerrhoden and Protestant Appenzell Ausserrhoden. As you might guess, the canton split during the Reformation in the 16^th century.

Both areas are known for being rather old-fashioned. In 1991, Appenzell Innerrhoden became the last canton to grant women the right to vote.

Coat of Arms – Appenzell Ausserrhoden

Canton of St. Gallen

The Canton of St. Gallen completely surrounds the two half-cantons of Appenzell. The massive Abbey of St. Gall controlled the lands for centuries, but eventually “re-formed” following the Reformation [sorry for the terrible pun, I’m getting tired] and various political events.

Coat of Arms

We’d originally planned to take the cable car up Ebenalp, but it was too cloudy to have a good view from the top, so we decided to pass. Since we mainly traveled through here as a scenic bypass, we stopped on the side of the road to take a few pictures, rode through the town for a bit, and then went on our way.

Appenzell

St. Gallen

Our next destinalion, the city of St. Gallen, is a ~20 minute drive north of Appenzell. St. Gallen is famous for its abbey (Fürstabtei St. Gallen), which has a beautiful chapel, library, and vaulted cellar.

St. Gallen

Coat of Arms

The town of St. Gallen was originally settled as the Abbey of St. Gall. The Abbey, built in 719 AD, still stands, and houses one of the most important collections of medieval books in the world. The library also has some of the only surviving architectural drawings from that time, and has a collection of documents depicting neume, which is how people recorded music before the five-line staves used today.

St. Gallen Abbey

St. Gallen

After struggling to find some parking [and the Abbey], we finally found our way. We walked in the cathedral, and contemplated going in the library, but the admission price seemed very high, and it was nearly closing time (17:00), so we went on our way.

St. Gallen Abbey

Bodensee

After a quick pit stop at Lidl to buy some chocolate, we drove farther northwest alongside the Bodensee (Lake Constance) and crossed the border back in the Deutschland, to the city of Konstanz on the lake.

Konstanz

In Konstanz, we visited two churches (Sankt-Stephans Kirche and Konstanzer Münster) and the lake.

Konstanz

Flag

The city of Konztanz sits on the border between Germany and Switzerland, and has a population of ~88,000. The earliest traces of settlement come from before 6000 BC. The Romans called their settlement here Drusomagus. The city is largely a university town.

Coat of Arms

The city held the Council of Constance from 1414-1418, during which Czech reformer John Hus was burned at the stake in 1415.

During World War II, the city wasn’t bombed by the Allies because it left its lights on, pretending to be a part of Switzerland.

Sankt-Stephans Kirche

Konstanzer Münster

Cafe Münsterhof

We ate dinner in the city square at Cafe Münsterhof. We ordered Vorspeisenteller Münsterhof (mixed appetizer plate), and then each got Paar Wienerle mit Linsen und hausgemachten Spätzle (a regional dish of sausages served with lentil gravy and spätzle, and eggy grated paste).

Cafe Münsterhof

Unfortunately, the cafe only took cash, so I had to go down the street to an ATM to restock.

After dinner, we walked around the town a bit more, purchased some gelato from a restaurant that was still open, and then returned to our car for the drive back across the border to Hotel Allegra in Kloten.

Konstanz ice cream

Lake Konstanz

Leaving Deutschland

Map

Today's travels

Goodnight

Thanks for following our trip so far; we’re glad you could tag along with us! Today was our last day in Switzerland; we fly home tomorrow and should arrive in the US around 14:00, and in CLT around 16:40. This trip has been wonderful so far, but we do miss home, so it’s a bittersweet goodbye.

Even though it rained almost all day today, it was still fun to visit some new countries.

Hopefully, we’ll do a wrap-up post sharing our final thoughts on the trip, tell about our favorite moments, and maybe even include a few videos we’ve taken.

Schloss Schattenburg

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Day 8 – Bern, Rheinfall, Deutschland

Isaac Church — Sun, 19 May 2019 03:59:39 +0000

This morning, we awoke in Bern as we began the eighth day of our travels in Europe.

Breakfast - Hotel Waldhorn

First, we ate breakfast at Hotel Waldhorn. As a way to promote tourism, all travelers spending the night get a free Bern Ticket, which gives you free public transit, as well as access to two funiculars and an elevator to the top of Berner Münster, the city’s massive cathedral. [We forgot about the cathedral part; we’ll get to that later…]

Bern Old Town

Immediately after breakfast, we checked out, and walked from our hotel to the old town of Bern, which took about 15 minutes. The weather was nearly perfect today; one could wear a long-sleeved shirt and no jacket and be comfortable walking the hills all day. We spent the better part of the day walking around Bern and seeing the sights in this picturesque city.

Bern

Bern is the capital of the Swiss Confederation, and of the canton of Bern. It is the nation’s fifth-largest city, with a population of ~660,000. Bern, founded in the 1100s, is the city of the bear. The city has kept live bears since the 1440s, and currently has a large riverside park, Bärengraben, that houses four brown bears. Since the bears now have a more spacious home, the former medieval bear pits house a gift shop and performance venue.

Coat of Arms

The river Aare, a tributary of the Rhine, curves through the city. Pedestrians often swim in the river on a hot day.

View out our hotel window

City of bears

Our hotel

Closed violin shop

Most of the city has stone promenades. These are original from the 1400s, when they replaced wooden buildings after a widespread fire. You can walk throughout the entire old town without ever stepping out into the weather.

Bern

Bern is often called the city of fountains, with 700+ water fixtures, almost all of which are potable.

Bärengraben

The city of Bern’s namesake is an ancient word for bear. During medieval times, the citizens kept bears in a pit in the middle of the city. Now, the city has built Bärengraben on the edge of the river, with plenty of room for three brown bears to roam, play, eat, and sleep. Under these conditions, bears will actually live 50% longer because they have access to better nutrients and medical care.

We visited the bears twice: once in the morning and again in the afternoon.

Trying to get comfortable...

Bärengraben

rosengarten

Before we headed back to the city center, we took a walk up the hill to Rosengarten to take in a nice view of the city.

Zytglogge

The Zytlogge is a medieval mechanical astronomical clock that was once a guard tower and a prison. The city finally converted it into a clock tower after the Great Fire of 1405. We arrived at the tower just before noon, and witnessed the mechanical display on the hour. It’s very impressive technology, considering its age!

Zytglogge

The Zytglogge is a 15^th century astronomical clock. Before “Zytglogge“, locals referred to the prison tower as “kebie” (“cage”) or the reconstructed tower as “nüwer turm” (“new tower”). The clock must be manually reset every leap year.

I found this helpful diagram online:

YouTube video of the clock:

Berner Münster

After seeing the clock tower, we headed to the Berner Münster, the Swiss Reformed cathedral that towers over the town.

We toured the inside, and then climbed all 309 steps to the top (only realizing later tonight that we could have ridden the elevator with our Bern Ticket).

The Bells

Marktgasse // Lunch

Climbing all those steps made us quite hungry. We descended from the tower, and walked down to Marktgasse (Market Street), and browsed through the local market, picking up a variety of delicious free samples, and some not-so-delicious-and-very-spicy tapenade. We bought a Süss from Gateaux du Vully, which was a sweet butter cake topped with toasted almonds and served warm.

Süss

Giant lemons

Bern Marktgasse

Gateaux du Vully

Bern, Switzerland

I would go back, if just for the Süss pastry.

* – Would definitely visit again

** – Exceptional, must visit if you’re in the area

*** – Worth making a special trip to eat there

For more info on food ratings, click here.

At a local bakery, we bought three items to split: a pretzel cut in half and filled with butter, a croissant-shaped pastry that was filled with a cinnamon mixture, and a Madeline sandwich filled with apricot jam and dipped in chocolate.

Pretzel

Croissant-thing

Madeline

Sparrows feeding on our crumbs

We walked around a bit more, saw the Swiss Parliament building (Bundeshaus), and then dropped in a Migros restaurant (think restaurant section of Whole Foods) to grab two sandwiches: a tomato-arugula-parmesan and a salami-olive-cheese to eat later. We also got a mini-waffle from a street vendor for an on-the-go snack. Nearby at the main transit interchange (Bundesplatz), we caught the #9 streetcar back to our hotel – about a 12 minute ride. I nervously maneuvered the car out of the underground garage, and we returned to the roadways.

Kloster Königsfelden

We started driving to our next destination, stopping at Kloster Königsfelden, a monastery in Windisch, along the way, but we decided not to go inside.

Kloster Königsfelden

Deutschland

From the outset of this trip, we were determined to visit all six countries on our list. [If you’re keeping track, we’ve only been to three so far, and it’s now Day 8 of our trip.] Our original plan was to visit the picturesque lakeside citys of Lindau/Konstanz, Germany Monday. However, in an effort to cut down on drive time, and to be able to more thoroughly explore Appenzellerland, we’ll unfortunately have to cut Lindau and Konstanz from our itinerary.

Fortunately, we had to drive through Germany to get to our next destination, so we still get to check the country off our list! We tried to find a place to take a picture with a German flag, but apparently the Germans are not as proud of their flag as the Swiss are.

Deutschland

Rheinfall

About an hour later, we arrived near the towns of Schaffhausen and Neuberg, and as we parked our car, we could hear the thundering of water in the distance. The Rhine Falls (Rheinfall) are Europe’s largest waterfall by volume, at 490’/150m wide and 75’/23m high. It was a very impressive site, but just about as touristy as Niagara Falls, so we continued on our way towards our hotel in Kloten, just north of Zürich. We also saw an enormous mastiff there.

Rheinfall

Mastiff

Dinner - Chickeria

In Pfungen, we stopped at a Swiss fast-food restaurant called Chickeria, which specializes in rotisserie chicken and fries. It was very good, and even beat out Chick-fil-A in our minds (which is really saying something)! I got a half-chicken and Faith got a basket of drum-ettes. We attempted to go in the Migros next door to buy some chocolate, but it was already closed at 18:00 on a Saturday.

If I haven’t mentioned it already, Switzerland [for the most part] comes to a screeching halt from 18:00 Saturday to 10:00 Monday morning. I’m sure it’s nice for them, but it’s very frustrating for anyone trying to make even a simple purchase during that time.

Chickeria

We managed to find a Co-op gas station that was open, so I filled up our rental car, and then we went in an adjacent Aldi Suisse that was thankfully still open for a bit longer. We picked up some Callier dark chocolate and two lemon yogurts for later, laughed at two tween boys who tried to sell us a plastic toy they found on the ground for CHF2.00 “because we were American”, and then continued on our way to the hotel.

Hotel Allegra

We arrived at Hotel Allegra just north of the city of Zürich in Kloten, Switzerland, and checked into our room around 18:15. The hotel is very modern, and is only a short distance from the Zürich Airport.

Maps

Here are some maps showing our travels for today. One is of the city of Bern, and the other is our travel from Bern to Zürich.

Goodnight

Tomorrow, we’ll explore Zürich, and try to dodge the rain. Thanks again for following our travels. Comment (or ask questions) below if you’d like! We’ll respond as we get the chance – once we get home, probably.

Rheinfall

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Introduction, Part 2.5 – Europe 2019

Isaac Church — Thu, 09 May 2019 14:00:35 +0000

Meta-Intro

First, I’d need to apologize for dragging out this introduction into three parts. I originally intended to be brief, but somehow got carried away. I guess that’s what happens when you live in Boone with little-to-no sunshine for the winter months.

You can catch up on my unnecessarily long introductory posts below:

Teaser

Overview

That said, I’ll make a concerted effort to keep this post short: it will just contain a few final notes before we begin our actual journey.

Final Notes

Since I promised I’d be brief, I’ll only give three last minute “housekeeping”-type items:

We’ll try to send out our blog daily. However, bad Internet connection and lack of sleep might get in our way some days. Don’t worry; we’ll catch up!
Please be lenient with us on spelling/grammar errors…I’m usually trying to write the blog and bulk-edit photos at night when we’re exhausted from the day’s events. I promise we’ll correct them eventually. Thankfully, Faith can proofread for me some.
As mentioned in my second introductory post, I’m planning on adding a few new features to the blog. Whenever I do, I’ll highlight it using an alert box like the one below:

Example This is an example of an alert box. Click the [X] in the upper right-hand corner to close it.

We hope you enjoy following our travels through central Europe. We fly out of Charlotte at noon on Saturday; it’s almost time!

If you haven’t already, click below to subscribe to our posts. We should be sending out daily emails, but things might get delayed a bit for reasons mentioned above.

Vaduz, Liechtenstein

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Introduction, Part 2 – Europe 2019

Isaac Church — Wed, 13 Feb 2019 16:30:26 +0000

Welcome back! Before I proceed, if you haven’t read the first part of this introduction, click here to do so now.

If you weren’t able to read Part 1 and require a recap, Faith and I are traveling to Europe this May for a late honeymoon.

The Big Reveal

Now that we have all the formalities out of the way, I suppose it’s time to reveal our destination–er, rather–destinations.

On May 11, 2019, we will fly out of Charlotte-Douglas International Airport (CLT) and land in………Toronto. “But wait”, you say, “I thought you said you were going to six countries. You do realize that only one country borders Canada, and that’s the US?”

Patience, patience. I’m not done with the story yet… After a hearty four-hour layover in Toronto Pearson International Airport (YYZ), we’ll board yet another flight, this time overnight, and wake up as we land in………Zürich, Switzerland!

Zürich, Switzerland

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Destinations

Okay, sorry for all the drama; I promise I’ll stop now. Now I must reveal the answers to my clues; but first, the official list (with official names in official languages) of the countries we’ll be visiting, sort-of in order:

Swiss Confederation (Schweizerische Eidgenossenschaft/Confédération Suisse/Confederazione Svizzera/Confederaziun Svizra)
Italian Republic (Repubblica Italiana)
French Republic (République Française)
Federal Republic of Germany (Bundesrepublik Deutschland)
Principality of Liechtenstein (Fürstentum Liechtenstein)
Republic of Austria (Republik Österreich)

Bonus points to anyone who can name the four official languages of Switzerland without having to look it up.

Clues Revealed

Three places I will be revisiting are: Chamonix Mont-Blanc, France; Martigny, Switzerland; and Valle d’Aosta, Italy.

Chamonix, France

Torgnon, Valle d'Aosta, Italy

Martigny, Switzerland

The other facts revealed:

Liechtenstein, obviously, is one of the ten smallest countries in the world – coming in at #6. Liechtenstein is only 160 km² (about 61 mi²), has the world’s lowest unemployment rate (1.5%), and has the highest GDP per capita (USD$141,165.08 as of 2010, which is 1,118% above the world average).
Bears and beets are quite prominent in Switzerland, (as well as in a popular TV show).
Switzerland has four official languages, which explains the aforementioned commonalities.
The languages we’ll likely run into are German (both Swiss German and Standard German), Italian, French, Romansh, and Franco-Provençal.
The cities that have hosted the Winter Olympics are Chamonix, France (1924) and St. Moritz, Switzerland (1928 & 1948). Lausanne, Switzerland will host in 2020. Since writing my original post, I’ve determined we likely won’t make it to St. Moritz.

Destinations

Since everyone is now sufficiently enlightened, I’ll give you a rundown of our plans:

From Zürich, we’ll drive south to Luzern and the Berner Oberland region of Switzerland [2 nights], and then cross the border into Italy’s Valle d’Aosta [1 night] via the St. Bernard Pass.
From there, we’ll travel through the Mont Blanc Tunnel into France.
From Chamonix Mont-Blanc [2 nights], we’ll circle back by Lac Léman (Lake Geneva) towards Bern [1 night].
We’ll spend our final days in Kloten [3 nights], a northern suburb of Zürich.
With Zürich as our base, we’ll travel east to Liechtenstein/Austria and north to Germany.

[Images linked to sources]

Omissions

Feel free to skip this section for a quicker read…click here to move on.

Faith and I are both ecstatic for this trip, but it is worth mentioning the locations we won’t be able to visit on this tour of Switzerland. As I was planning this trip, it really hurt to pass over some of these cities/regions, but there is only so much one can fit into a ten-day excursion.

Northern/Western Switzerland

Geneva – We’ll miss attractions such as the Reformation Wall, Olympic Museum, United Nations, International Red Cross headquarters, and more.
Lausanne – Lausanne is one of my all-time favorite cities. I heard one author describe it as “a real-life version of Chutes and Ladders“. It has everything: beautiful views, a lake, mountains, shopping, history, chocolate, cheese, technology, and more. We might be able to squeeze in a day trip, but it’s not likely.
Titlis – Located in the Uri Alps, Titlis is a mountain home to the world’s first cable car, as well as several glacier caves.
Basel – This city on the German/French border of Switzerland is a cultural hub with lots to do, plus easy access to the Rhine and the other two countries.
Neuchâtel – Home to Neuchâtel cheese and Neuchâtel Castle, the city is also near La Chaux-de-Fonds, the watchmaking capital of the world.

Southern/Eastern Switzerland

Zermatt – This auto-free village, accessible only by train, is the threshold of the Matterhorn, one of the most famous peaks in the world.
Titlis – Located in the Uri Alps, Titlis is a mountain home to the world’s first cable car, as well as several glacier caves.
Lugano – The largest city in the Italian-speaking Ticino region of Switzerland, Lugano is home to lake-and-mountain views, and is also considered by many to be the culinary capital of Switzerland, largely due to its Italian influence. Lugano is location right across the Italian border from the famous Lake Como, and is about 80km NNW of Milan.
Southeastern Switzerland – We will miss St. Moritz, Andermatt, Arosa, Chun – home to Europe’s highest railway – the Bernina Express, the Swiss National Park, and most of the Romansh-speaking region.

Sorry for being long-winded, but I included the above section for a couple reasons:

I wanted to have a written record of everything I would like to cover in future trips.
I wanted to give you some idea about how much there is to do and see in Switzerland, or Europe in general.

While I certainly can pack a lot into an itinerary, I often have to make very difficult decisions so we can maximize our time abroad.

New Additions

Since this trip marks a new era for Church Trips, I thought I would do a few things differently, or at least include some things I haven’t in the past. So, new inclusions for this trip include:

Maps to show our routes between destinations, and just to show where we are in general. I may post screenshots of these, or simply link to a mapping service like HERE WeGo or Google Maps.
Lodging – several of you have asked to see more pictures of where we stay. In the past, I’ve typically only mentioned our accommodation’s name in passing. I usually don’t see a need to share details about domestic hotels, since they’re largely uniform, but international accommodations tend to be a bit more unique, different, and noteworthy.
Videos – While I don’t have the desire, time, equipment, or battery life to shoot and edit videos by myself, I’ll include some links to videos that will allow you to further explore and better appreciate the places we visit.
Links, in conjunction with the aforementioned videos, to third-party websites that includes information about our destinations, such as culture, traditions, cuisine, travel, history, and more.
Suggested additional content you would like to see…comment below [or on any of my posts], and I’ll try my best to include the content you request.

As promised, here are two maps – admittedly missing a few stops because my computer was being finicky:

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Introduction – Europe 2019

Isaac Church — Mon, 28 Jan 2019 13:00:50 +0000

Church Family Update

2018 was a magnificently busy year for the Church family, as I’m sure many of you know. I think if I tried to group everything that happened in one sentence, the comma key on my laptop would wear out, so I’ll opt for a list instead:

I graduated from Appalachian State University with two Master’s degrees, and was the commencement speaker at graduation.
Mom, Dad, and I traveled to the Pacific Northwest, visiting Washington, Oregon, and British Columbia (you can read about our adventures here).
Dad and I traveled to State College, Pennsylvania to see App nearly upset the Nittany Lions in Happy Valley (read about that here).
I started a new job at Lowe’s Companies, Inc. in their Wilkesboro office.
Dad and I were honored as ‘Alumni of the Game’ at an ASU home football game.
Dad survived another round of kidney stones.

Like I said, it was a pretty eventful year. Oh, and I got engaged and married. No big deal.

Church family Update, Part 2

Actually, it was a huge deal, and we are thrilled to welcome Faith as the newest Church. You can click here to see photos of our wedding. And before any of you ask, yes, we did consider changing her middle name to “Independent Free Will Missionary Baptist” when we went to the SSA. I figured we needed a separate list to cover wedding related stuff, so here’s part two of 2018 events:

Faith and I got engaged on July 14.
We were married at Alliance Bible Fellowship in Boone on December 15.
We honeymooned in Asheville at the Biltmore Estate for a few nights, where we enjoyed some great food, a candlelight tour of the house, and some time exploring Asheville and to catch up on Christmas shopping. I’ll post a few photos below.

Enjoying a cheese board at Chestnut

Biltmore Bistro

Touring the Biltmore House

2019 Update

Even in the new year, a lot happened! At the end of January, Faith and I traveled to Asheville with some friends of ours, and we’ve been on a few other adventures in the meantime. She will graduate with her degree in Violin Performance from the Hayes School of Music at ASU on May 10, and is/will be teaching music lessons in Boone, plus whatever else she decides to do. I’m currently working on a music website for her, so stay tuned for more details about that.

As a late celebration of our wedding, Faith and I are taking an international trip! Mom and Dad won’t be joining us, so this will be a new breed of “Church Trips”. This will be her second international trip, and my third (fourth if Puerto Rico counts, and sixth if Canada counts). We’ll leave the day after she graduates, May 11. Our destination(s) will remain a secret for the time being; however, I wanted to give everyone an update about our upcoming adventure so you can follow our travels.

Hints

Since I usually provide a few hints about our destination, here you go:

The photos on this page are of our destinations.
We are hoping to visit six (!!!) countries on this trip, but will never drive more than four hours a day.
Water is a key theme in our trip–many of the cities we visit are on a lake (or two); our journey will take us to many famous rivers and many waterfalls.
Assuming airports don’t count (they shouldn’t), all six of these countries would be new to Faith, while only three would be new to me.
We will go at least three places that I have been before.
One country we plan to visit is one of the ten smallest nations in the world.
Bears and beets
Some of the countries we visit will have common languages. We will likely run into at least five languages, not counting English or Spanish. All are Romance languages.
We will [possibly] visit two cities that have hosted the Winter Olympics (one of them hosted it twice), and another that is scheduled to host it in the future.

You can click the button below to subscribe to our email updates, as with all of my previous trips. There’s no need to re-subscribe if you’ve already been on my email list.

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Day 13 – Traveling Home // Final Thoughts and Memories

Isaac Church — Tue, 26 May 2015 00:59:02 +0000

Today, May 25, marks my thirteenth and final day in Poland, and thus is the day that I travel back to the United States.

This trip has been full of wonderful memories and new friends, but sadly, it has finally come to an end.

Kraków Airport

I woke up at 3:15 (CET) this morning, finished packing up my belongings, and headed down to the hotel lobby to meet the rest of the group. Four blue Mercedes vans arrived to pick us up at 4:00; we loaded and boarded the vans and took a quick car ride to John Paul II International Airport in Kraków–Balice.

Upon our arrival to the airport, we checked into the arrival counter for Lufthansa and checked our luggage. Some students had to redistribute some of their belongings because of weight limits, but I was fortunate enough to have judged it properly when I packed.

John Paul II International Airport Kraków–Balice

After a friendly pat-down at the security checkpoint, we headed to the waiting area at our gate. I grabbed a quick pre-breakfast (for it was much too early to call it “breakfast”) of a muffin and a bottle of water. I manage to spend my last złoty on some chocolate bars and Tic-Tacs for the flight home.

We boarded our flight, and were on the runway ready for takeoff by 6:30 am. We arrived in München (Munich) by 7:30 after a very pleasant flight. Breakfast on the airplane consisted of an almond-marzipan croissant with our choice of juices or coffee. I somehow scored a seat on the emergency exit row, so although my seat didn’t recline, there was ample legroom for Goliath and his cousins.

Munich Airport

Upon our arrival at München, we entered the airport, went through border/passport control, and headed into the main block of the airport. We stopped at a very nice cafe for a group breakfast, where I got a pretzel and some yogurt with granola. After breakfast, we headed through several layers of security to gate H15/16, where we spent the next couple hours waiting through our layover.

Flughafen München

Flight Home

We boarded our flight from München to Charlotte, and finally took off after waiting on the runway for a while. Lufthansa served us crackers as a snack, and then brought us lunch, which consisted of chicken pasta, Brie cheese, a roll and butter, a small salad, strawberry-rhubarb cheesecake, and a piece of milk chocolate.

Lufthansa lunch

The rest of the flight was fairly uneventful, except for when someone’s water bottle in the overhead compartment started leaking. I consumed a sizable amount of the complementary apple juice. Later, they brought us a Bavarian hot dog in a pretzel bun.

Conclusion

This study abroad trip to Poland has been a wonderful experience for me. I have learned a considerable amount about Polish culture, European life, and the world in general. I have deeply enjoyed getting to know the other students on this trip, especially some of the MBA students and the students from Adam Mickiewitz University.

I hope to continue my learning abroad as a lifelong journey, I hope to maintain my relationship with the friends I have made throughout my business career and beyond.

For those of you who have been reading my blog, thanks for your attention and time, and for being patient as I am finally finding time to seriously proofread my writing.

I have enjoyed writing and sharing my travels with you, but sadly, all good things must come to an end. I may post a few more I.A. Posts as they comes to mind, but until next time, do widzenia.

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Day 1/2 – Travel, Old Town Warsaw, and First Polish Meal

Isaac Church — Fri, 15 May 2015 03:45:35 +0000

Today, May 14, marked my first full day as a student in my study abroad program to Poland. May 15 marked my first day in Warsaw.

Our group, which is comprised of MBA and Honors College students from Appalachian State, met at the Charlotte-Douglas International Airport on May 13 at 3:00pm (EST), and officially departed for Europe by 6:45pm (EST).

Departing from CLT

Our trip to Europe first involved a flight change in Munich, Germany. We arrived in Warsaw around 12:30pm (CET) on May 14. The flight over was uneventful, only involving slightly-above average airline food, a couple of movies, and a meager 45 minutes worth of sleep.

Overall, I was thoroughly impressed with Lufthansa Airlines, and I can safely say the flight from Charlotte to Munich was the best airline experience I’ve ever had. After customs and a short layover in Munich, during which most of our group occupied themselves at the complimentary coffee machines, we boarded a smaller Lufthansa plane and departed for Poland at 11:00am (CET).

Flight to Munich

Upon our arrival in Warsaw, we herded the group together and proceeded to the baggage claim and finally the arrivals terminal. Our transportation was awaiting us, so we loaded and boarded our four black chartered Freightliner vans and made our way to Hotel Sofitel Victoria Warszawa, where we checked into our rooms for the next three days. After a short break to wash our faces, brush our teeth, and change clothes, we met in the lobby for our walking tour of Warsaw Old Town.

Old Town Warsaw

Our walking tour in Old Town Warsaw began across the street from our hotel at the Grób Nieznanego Żołnierza (Tomb of the Unknown Soldier), which is across the square from the cross honoring Pope John Paul II. We then proceeded toward the more historic district of Warsaw Old Town. The first sight we saw was the statue of King Sigismund across from the castle in which he resided. Our tour guide explained the significance of the upward pointing sword and the cross in the king’s hands, which symbolize rising victory and a divinely inspired kingdom.

Hotel Sofitel Victoria Warsaw

It is interesting to note that a majority of the buildings in Warsaw’s Old Town have been reconstructed after the World War II bombings, but they are almost all true to the original architecture.

Old Town Warsaw

The Mermaid of Warsaw

We entered the courtyard of the Warsaw Castle, which features two designs in sets of opposing walls. One set of walls is a light brown 14th century Gothic design, and the other is a white 16-17 century traditional design.

Our trip through old town included a variety of other sights, sounds, and historical facts, including the “wishing bell”, an overview of Polish wedding traditions (which seem to all involve vodka), a Cathedral with a royal overhead walkway entrance, various shops and cafés, the home of several famous Nobel Prize-winning chemists and physicists, hidden house façades, and more.

Warsaw Castle Courtyard

Marie Curie's House

Jewish Ghetto

The next leg of our journey took us through part of the infamous Jewish ghetto. We stopped along the way for our tour guide to recall various facts and explain several monuments that document events in the ghetto and during the Warsaw Uprising. Some of the most notable included several of the 22 monuments that mark the fence line for the ghetto. The original fence was three meters high and was topped with barbed wire and pieces of glass, but all that remains are bricks and brass to mark the fence line. This part of the tour resolved at the Warsaw Uprising memorial, which is outside the Polish Supreme Court building. The monument is split into two parts, one of which is hopeful and defiant-portraying Poles going into battle, while the other is more somber-portraying Jews escaping through the sewers of Warsaw during the German Final Solution of 1942.

Warsaw Ghetto Wall Marker

Warsaw Uprising Memorial/Polish Supreme Court

Our tour of Warsaw Old Town concluded at the Polish Capitol building. This building is famous for two primary reasons: first, because it was home to Heinrich Himmler during World War II, and also because it housed Fryderyk Chopin’s earliest performances. There are a number of “musical benches” scattered across the city to commemorate Chopin’s musical compositions and achievements.

Chopin Musical Bench

Warsaw Street

At this point, our tour had circled back to Sofitel hotel plaza, and we briefly returned to our rooms.

First Polish Dinner

Shortly after 6:00pm our group reconvened and headed out to dinner. One of our trip leaders, Dr. Harris, had made reservations for the group at Podwale Piwana Kompania, a restaurant that serves traditional Polish cuisine. Our meal began with drink orders (turns out that water is more expensive that almost anything else in Poland), three kinds of bread (poppyseed coated baguette, whitewheat roll, and [sourdough?]), kraut, and pickles.

I ordered two things: the Placek po Zbójnicku z Kurczaka lub Wiperzowiny (a potato pancake with pan-fried beef tenderloin, cabbage, and tomatoes) and Pierogi “Wileńskie” z Serem I Ziemniakami (potato and cheese filled dumplings served with sour cream and pork jelly). Overall, the meal was good, and we all left very full.

Polish Potato Pancake

On our way home, we stopped by a local market to get a granola bar for breakfast, some locally crafted chocolate from Pijalnia Czekolady, and some bottled water. We arrived back at the hotel at around 9:00pm (CET) and concluded our day.

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Day 10 – Liechtenstein, Austria, Appenzellerland, Deutschland

Liechtenstein

Coat of Arms

Flag

Coat of Arms

Flag

Red House // Schloss VAduz

Österreich

Coat of Arms

Flag

Coat of Arms

Schloss Schattenburg

Cafe-Konditorei Feuerstein // Josef Schertler Bäckerei Konditiorei

Cafe-Konditorei Feuerstein

Feldkirch, Austria

Appenzellerland

Coat of Arms – Appenzell Innerrhoden

Coat of Arms – Appenzell Ausserrhoden

Coat of Arms

St. Gallen

Coat of Arms

Bodensee

Konstanz

Flag

Coat of Arms

Cafe Münsterhof

Map

Goodnight

Day 8 – Bern, Rheinfall, Deutschland

Breakfast - Hotel Waldhorn

Bern Old Town

Coat of Arms

Bärengraben

Trying to get comfortable...

rosengarten

Zytglogge

I found this helpful diagram online:

YouTube video of the clock:

Berner Münster

The Bells

Marktgasse // Lunch

Gateaux du Vully

Bern, Switzerland

Kloster Königsfelden

Deutschland

Rheinfall

Dinner - Chickeria

Hotel Allegra

Maps

Goodnight

Introduction, Part 2.5 – Europe 2019

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Day 13 – Traveling Home // Final Thoughts and Memories

Kraków Airport

Munich Airport

Flight Home

Conclusion

Day 1/2 – Travel, Old Town Warsaw, and First Polish Meal

Old Town Warsaw

Jewish Ghetto